The Devil Wears Fine Clothes (8)

Only the stars and moon know what happens in the middle of the night.

The next morning. I came out of the quarters as if nothing had happened, and Kerberos also emerged from the camp with a clean face. We managed our expressions neatly as if nothing had occurred, but the night’s passion seemed to have raised interesting suspicions among several people.

A tired-looking soldier could be seen grumbling to other soldiers.

“I must have gone crazy from being here too long. Last night while sleeping, my wife appeared in my dream and danced completely naked. She was shaking her hips while making nasal sounds, wow… really…”

He seemed to have had an erotic dream due to the influence of the lewd sounds that occurred yesterday. Another soldier chimed in, giggling:

“What? So those moans we heard last night were your wife’s sounds?”

The soldier who was talking frowned and said in a harsh tone:

“….Are you crazy? Hey, watch your mouth.”

“No, I really heard it! Whimpering all night…”

“You bastard, I’ve had enough of this shit!”

Kerberos casually dismissed the sudden fistfight that broke out with a wave of her hand, and I decided to pretend I hadn’t seen anything. The soldier who got hit would feel wronged, but what excuse could I make for him?

“You’re full of energy this morning. Guess we don’t have to worry about fighting the demons.”

Lena joked while adjusting her shoelaces. She was sitting on a low chair with her back deeply bent, which made her voice sound a bit low.

Ashuria asked the hero:

“Are we departing right away today?”

The hero nodded and said:

“We have to. We can’t stay here forever.”

The hero’s passing through here was to meet Kerberos and gain additional information while receiving final supplies before crossing the border for long-distance travel. Thanks to that, my backpack was filled with food, and it wasn’t enough, so we had to put an extra day’s worth of food in each party member’s backpack.

The hero said, looking at the backpack:

“If we catch this one, we can definitely gain the upper hand.”

As she said, if we take down this commander, we could definitely gain the upper hand. A considerable part of the Empire’s land had already been liberated from demon energy, and there were reports of grass growing and animals returning, starting from the less infiltrated areas.

If we capture Commander Staufen, the magic stones in the heart of the Empire will also be liberated, which will be a tremendous blow to the demons.

The goal is right in front of us.

Thinking about it made my heart race.

Lena patted my shoulder and said:

“Your expression looks great, old man. You seem happy.”

I nodded. As she said, I was feeling joy about the hope that was approaching. I didn’t hide my smile and lifted the backpack with all my might. The heavy sensation touching my shoulders was more than I expected, but the load gets lighter as we move forward.

The closer we get to our goal, the lighter the burden becomes.

I gripped the bag strap tightly and said to the hero:

“Then, hero. Are we leaving right away?”

Kerberos had already finished her farewell preparations.

She stood with a calm face as if not wanting to reveal her relationship with me, but her gaze was directed at me. I met her eyes and bowed my head slightly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then saluted the hero and said:

“Then, hero. I’ll be waiting for you to return successfully from your mission.”

The soldiers took their positions and wished for the hero’s success. The hero smiled with a mix of burden and responsibility on her face and turned around. Ashuria and Lena, and Mille followed her steps. I started walking at the very back, carrying the backpack.

As I passed by, Kerberos said in a small voice:

“Take care of yourself.”

In a tone that wouldn’t sound strange to anyone, with a smile as calm as if she was speaking to the hero.

I nodded without looking back at her. Kerberos naturally pretended to be doing something else while walking alongside me, and whispered once more in a voice only I could hear:

“I’ll be waiting.”

I smiled. Unable to nod or shake my head, I could only answer with a smile.

When all these missions are over, will I be able to love a demon? Can I forget everything and live normally?

I don’t know.

I just smiled because I didn’t know, and Lena and Ashuria were looking back at me, who had fallen behind. Mille said:

“Is it heavy? Want me to carry it?”

“If Miss Mille carries it, there’s no reason for me to be here.”

Lena nodded and laughed at my words.

“That’s right. The old man is a porter who carries luggage.”

Ashuria rubbed her hands at those words, looked at me, and smiled.

“That’s right, Miss Lena. He’s that kind of person.”

Lena snorted at Ashuria’s strange smile, then slowed her pace to come to my side. She showed me the map and spoke. Her body was pressed close, smelling nice. She didn’t often wear perfume, but today she smelled unusually sweet.

“Old man. So where are we going? What’s the most convenient way to go this way?”

She deliberately whispered in my ear.

I pointed to a spot on the map and said:

“It would be best to go this way. It’s not easy to scout from the Empire’s direction, and if the terrain hasn’t changed, there are many rocks suitable for concealment even without grass and trees.”

The hero said:

“Then let’s go that way for now.”

Lena rolled up the map and lightly pushed the backpack.

And Ashuria was staring intently at Lena. Lena winked at Ashuria, but Ashuria just snorted and shook her head. Lena opened her eyes wide and tilted her head, then puffed out her chest as if she couldn’t lose and walked forward.

Mille, unable to understand the behavior of the two, looked back and forth between them, then came to my side and asked:

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.”

I just hoped that this party would stay safe until all operations were over.

Because we were really just a few steps away from the capital now.

Because the day I could fulfill my wish was not far off.

---

“C-Commander…! This is…”

“It’s the payment. Didn’t I say I would pay? A good commander doesn’t break even personal promises.”

“B-But it’s too much.”

Nigel was trembling, having received twice the amount she had requested. Although Kerberos had been from a noble family in the demon world, now she was just a commander without family or backing. Even though her spending was known to be frugal, this amount must have been a considerable sacrifice.

From Nigel’s perspective, she didn’t want Kerberos to live in poverty because of clothes. So she left only the exact amount she should receive and pushed the rest back towards Kerberos.

“C-Commander. This much is enough. We earn well.”

But Kerberos pushed the money back with a somewhat pleased expression.

“No. The clothes you designed were perfect. Think of it as a reward for that.”

Despite her strict tone and firm hand gesture, Nigel didn’t yield.

“Still, I can’t accept more money than the price.”

Kerberos tilted her head and said:

“I don’t mind.”

“T-That’s not the issue. If I receive this much money at such a young age, it will ruin my sense of economy.”

At Nigel’s words, Kerberos smiled again and said:

“Don’t worry. I’ll scold you then. You’ve shown enough ability, and everyone deserves to be paid according to their skills. This is the amount I’ve measured for your ability. Take it.”

Nigel shook her head.

And firmly pushed the money back again.

“I learned that I should set my own price. It’s too much, Commander. I don’t need this much, and my ability isn’t worth this much.”

Kerberos seemed to like her behavior even more. She nodded with a pleased smile, then lightly tapped the desk and said:

“Then, Nigel. Think of it this way. I’m not giving you extra money. It’s an advance payment for the next outfit I’ll need. I liked your clothes so much that I’m making a reservation with you, who might become a famous designer.”

Nigel seemed to find that proposal not too bad. After fidgeting with her fingers for a moment, she nodded while checking Kerberos’s reaction.

“…Alright. It’s good that you think so highly of my abilities. But what kind of clothes are you planning to make?”

“I…”

Kerberos lifted her head. Ugly marks and dust were stuck to the dry ceiling. It was common in old buildings. She began to draw some picture using that hideous panel as a canvas.

Beautifully ringing bell sounds.

Applause.

Songs.

And a man waiting in a suit. A long carpet.

“A dress.”

She covered her mouth. Tears came to her eyes, and a smile leaked from her lips.

“I think a dress would be nice.”

“A dress? What kind of dress?”

Kerberos laughed. She patted Nigel’s head and said:

“I’ll let you know when the time comes.”